(SACRAMENTO) – Attorney General Bill Lockyer issued the following statement on today’s ruling by the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) failed to consider the environmental effects of a potential terrorist attack when approving a Pacific Gas and Electric proposal to expand the spent nuclear storage facilities at Diablo Canyon.

“This is a victory for the communities that live in the shadow of Diablo Canyon, and for the health of California’s residents and environment. President Bush and Administration officials make constant public statements about the terrorist threat. Yet the NRC in this case concluded the danger of a terrorist attack on a nuclear facility is so minimal that the environmental effects of an attack did not have to be considered, resulting in denying Californians the right to know about potential harm. The court held today the Bush Administration ignored its own experts, who have warned that further terrorist attacks are inevitable and nuclear facilities are likely targets, and that the NRC must conduct a new approval process that incorporates analysis of environmental threats and solicits the community’s opinion.”

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State of California Department of Justice Office of the Attorney General